China Telecom signed an agreement with Nokia to expand its 4G coverage in 19 provinces in China. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The contract covers expansion of the radio access network and lays the foundation for China Telecom’s intended launch of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services in 2017.
Specifically, Nokia is deploying its 4G Flexi MultiRadio 10 Base Stations in 19 provinces in China: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, Sichuan, Anhui, Liaoning, Guizhou, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.
As of the end of June, China Telecom had nearly 207 million mobile subscribers, with 90 million users of 4G devices, an increase of more than 31 million during the first six months of 2016. Last year the company saw 4G traffic increase by more than six times, and it is predicted to account for more than 90 percent of mobile data traffic on the network by 2017.
“This agreement with China Telecom builds on our long history of collaboration. Our deep-rooted knowledge of the Chinese market will enable China Telecom to meet the demands of an ever-growing and dynamic 4G subscriber base,” stated Mike Wang, Head of Nokia Networks China and ASB joint management team.
